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Neville Longbottom

Bravery

*DH SPOILERS*

I think there are many aspects that make Neville so brave. He showed more bravery in DH than ever, but it has been there all along.

First of all, Neville values integrity and honor, which allows him to stand up to what he believes in. For example, in SS/PS, when Neville tries to stop Harry, Ron, and Hermione from going to save the stone, Dumbledore calls this very courageous. He holds Gryffindor integrity very high, and he does not want the trio giving it a bad name. This idea that
Neville's bravery is guided by integrity also in apparent in DH. Neville stands up for his beliefs that the unforgivable curses are terrible, so he stands up to the Carrows. Also in OOTP, when Neville meets Bellatrix, he is determined to hold up his family name. Neville is a character that does not falter in his beliefs, and this is his incentive to be courageous. I believe that honor outweighs his fear, so for him, honor and courage go hand in hand.

The other quality that really makes him brave, is his determination. Neville time and time again tries his best at anything that he does. One of the best examples of this is in OOTP during DA, and Neville learns of the escape of Bellatrix, Harry notices that Neville was more determined than ever and he was the quickest to learn the spells, other than Hermione (chapter 25). A smaller, but nonetheless good example, is Neville's desire to take as many NEWT level classes as possible, even if his OWL scores weren't the greatest.

Neville has always been a brave character in my eyes. He may not show it as the other Gryffindors do, but he is courageous. His beliefs and determination outweigh his fear, which allows his brave side to shine through!

Okay, well I thought I'd better add my opinion after the fact as the self-appointed Neville expert that I am

In my view, the key to Neville's character, at least to begin with, is his extremely low self-esteem. From PS through to the beginning of OOTP (witness his "I'm nobody" quote) no one, with the possible exception of Snape, has a lower opinion of Neville than he does himself. Whilst his change in OOTP allows him to grow in confidence, a vestige of this trait remains part of him.

Put simply, Neville believes that other people are far more important than he himself, and it is this fact that is at the core of his bravery. His low self-esteem morphs into selflessness, where he puts the needs of others above those of himself. The first hint of that is in PS where he tries to stop the trio, not because it will affect him, but because he thinks the trio themselves, and Gryffindor as a whole, will suffer. In OOTP at the Ministry, he is prepared to suffer at the hands of the Death Eaters who tortured his parents, rather than have Harry give up the prophecy.

Finally, in DH, he suffers a whole year of torment at the hands of the Carrows, which he shrugs off lightly, because in his view it was worth it, because it helped protect and give hope to his fellow students. He confronts Voldemort, without thought for his personal safety, because Harry had given him a job to do: kill the snake.

I agree that Neville has a high degree of integrity, to him there is nothing more important than a cause which is just. Note his choice of battle cry in front of Voldemort: Dumbledore's Army! He does not lead for himself, it does not matter if he falls, if the right outcome is achieved. In this he is just as selfless as Harry, if not more so.

It is interesting to note that, despite the provocation, Neville does not seek revenge. In the end it is Molly who takes down Bellatrix, whilst Neville is fighting Greyback. His determination to become a better wizard in OOTP is not driven by a desire to go after Bellatrix, there's no sign that he does so either in OOTP or DH. Rather, it is the determination to see that no others suffer his parents' fate which spurs him into action.

I doubt that Neville, even at the end of DH, considers himself brave, he just thinks he did the right and necessary thing. His is the highest form of bravery, he does what he does so that others may be safe and happy, and expects no acknowledgement of his achievements.

I'm sure you can tell how much I like Neville! I hope my own personal take on him is useful to you.

"What if strange things happened all the time?"
"Thatíd be very strange."
"No, thatís the point, itíd be normal."

Allan Ahlberg

Ever wondered what would have happened if Voldemort had chosen his enemy differently? Read the Neville Longbottom saga:

hm..

I think Neville as a teacher would be a very fun class. I think be the exact opposite of Snape, because of his bad experince with him. He wouldn't give a lot of homework,and would be fair, and give students the benifit of the doubt. I think overall he would make herbology a great class to be in, and show students all sorts of cool and fun techniques!

I disagree with a few points you've made. Granted, he would be the opposite of Snape in the aspect that he would not be downright mean to his students. But then again, McGonagall could be placed in that same column, and we all know she isn't easy on the homework.

Remember, a lack of homework does not necessarily make a good teacher (the contrary, in my opinion), and I'm sure that if Neville does not know this upon taking the job, he'd figure it out by the end of his first month.

And also, I have no doubt that Neville would be fair, but he isn't naÔve. He knows that there are kids out there who will try to get out of things, but he'll also know that some students are more honest than others. Therefore, he'd take some students' words over others, thus making him appear unfair in the latter students' perspective.

And above all, know that Neville is not perfect, and he will make mistakes now and then. But don't sweat it, he knows when he's wrong, and he'll be a Gryffindor and do the right thing: admit that he's wrong.

But also, he would come up with new and inventive ways to keep the students' attention as well as help them learn on the subject. Similar to Hagrid and the thestrals, without the insanity. (However, whether or not you decide to keep the whole introducing-a-magical-animal/object-that-conveniently-plays-a-key-point-in-the-plot thing is up to you.)

As for Neville being a teacher I generally agree with above comments. I agree that he'd find new ways to teach without going 'out there' like Hagrid, and that his classes would be fun. And he most certainly admit if he was wrong. I kind of see him as being a teacher like Lupin, teaching to his best abilities and giving everyone a chance to prove themselves. I do however think that he'd be a little stricter in the classroom then Lupin. I think he wouldn't hold for nonsense such as bullying, racist behavior, rudeness, etc. And he would not let you run amuck in the classroom. I think that while his classes would be fun, pleasent and enjoyable, you'd always be aware of the line that you shouldn't cross over (unless you'd like a detention planting the most violent and gross plants that is.)

BlackHairedWeasley, I see your point and agree with most of it, but I wasn't saying a couple things you disagreed with.

I never said that since he didn't give alot of homework, he was a good teacher. Of course giving no homework doesn't makes a teacher good, nor does a teacher giving alot of homehork make them bad.

Also, I never said he was naive, but I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was more along the lines of he isn't going to take points, just because you mess up once or twice, not he's going to be blind to problems. He is going to be, in a matter of opinion, more lean than other teachers, because he understands that you have to break the rules sometimes(as he has done). Sorry, slytherins_queen2, but I personally think he wouldn't be that strict.